Tasty Tuesday - Mediterranean Tuna Cups

Since I am at home now looking after bub I have a "little" bit more time on my hands to whip up lunch. Not always but if they day is going well I might make something a little bit more special than the usual tuna and salad that graces my lunch plate.

When I was pregnant I went totally off salad, vegetables and tuna! Anything that was good for me really. It was so strange! I eat pretty healthy and to be totally revolted by these things was a little distressing because all I wanted to eat was avocado or Vegemite on toast or dry cruskitts.

So when little J.D was born and after I got my feet back on the ground I was so excited to discover I actually felt like a salad and tuna again. In celebration of that I whipped up these delicious Mediterranean Tuna cups for the special occasion.

I went with a Mediterranean theme as I had some yummy olives in the fridge. I adore olives, probably because they're salty - I LOVE anything salty. I scavenged in the salad crisper to see what salad items I had to put in this and come up with the usual basics - cucumber, tomato, red onion and carrot. I decided instead of creating a "wrap" with the mountain bread I would make little "cups" to place the salad and tuna in to hold it. If you don't have mountain bread why not use lettuce leaves like my Tuna Asian Lettuce Leaf Cups

I love these wraps and use them a lot for wraps for lunches. Another great use for them is as the "pasta" in lasagna or as "tortillas" when making burritos or enchiladas. They're dairy free and I think only contain 80 calories so they make a great bread alternative if your watching your waistline. They have some new flavours out in our local IGA and this Chia Seed was one of them. Chia is the latest craze out at the moment but have some good health benefits.

These don't take long to prepare and make a super healthy lunch not to mention they taste pretty good too. I enjoyed these out on the deck with a tall cold glass of water on a bright sunny spring day - while baby was sleeping of course. It was good to unwind a little bit because I feel like I am just running most of the day and hardly get time to go to the toilet! Lol. So to sit and watch the wind rustle through the trees and the birds tweeter away was a very refreshing moment in a busy day.

Mediterranean Tuna Cups

Ingredients (serves 2)

2 slices mountain bread (or tortillas)

95g tin Tuna in Springwater, drained

Tuna Mayonaise

1 Tbsp olive tapenade

1 tsp diced red onion, finely diced

1 Tbsp Mayonaise

1/2 Tbsp Capers, roughly chopped

1 tsp Parsley, finely chopped

Salad

1/4 green capsicum, finely diced

1 sml Tomato, finely diced

5 Kalamata Olives, roughly chopped

7 slices cumber, finely diced

1 tsp red onion, finely diced

1/2 carrot, finely diced

1 tsp parsley

salt/pepper

1 tsp olive oil

1/2 tsp white balsamic vinegar

Instructions

Bread Cups

Preheat the oven to 180degrees and grease a 6 hole muffin tin. Cut mountain bread (or tortilla) into 4 squares. Line a muffin tray with two squares and mould into the muffin tin holes. Place in the oven for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and let cool.

Tuna Mayonaise

In a small bowl add the drained tuna and remaining tuna mayonaise ingredients. Mix to combine and set aside.

Salad

In a separate bowl add the salad ingredients together and add the olive oil and balsamic vinegar to dress.

Place heaped tablespoons of the salad mixture into the bottom of each bread cup. Place a tablespoon of the Tuna mayonaise. Serve immediatly.

The components of these can be made ahead of time but need to be assembled just before serving as the cups will go soggy.